At 90, one would usually expect a possibly bed-ridden, largely incoherent person, dependent on others to look after or care for them.Often, however, stereotypes have very little merit and this is particularly true in the case of 90-year-old Richard Bailey.
The recently turned nonagenarian, whose 41-year career in the T&T Police Service (TTPS), with particular concentration in the Mounted Branch, left him with memories of Sir Solomon Hochoy and training the late Brigadier Joseph Theodore and retired Brigadier Carl Alfonso, was celebrated by his family at their Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, home yesterday.
Before the celebrations began yesterday, Bailey voiced his opinions on the state of the current Police Service, and pointed to some of the issues which he believes need to be resolved for it to work effectively.When the slim, light-brown, approximately 6ft 2ins man came to the gate at his home last Friday, he did not appear to be a day older than 70. The only telling sign that he had reached an age worthy of tremendous respect were the white hairs covering his head and face.
Bailey and his 91-year-old wife, Enid, sat in the porch of their home, often casting each other a loving or knowing glance as he recalled some of the memories of his long career in the service. Like his career, his marriage has longevity too. Bailey and Enid have been married for 69 years and have been friends for 72 and a half years.
Bailey began his career in the Police Service at the tender age of 18 in 1942. He recalled having left his native country of Barbados and coming to T&T, leaving his single mother and sister behind, after the then British colony issued a region-wide call for men wanting to enter the service.
In his youth, Bailey said he wanted to be one of two things, either a doctor or a policeman. Bailey did not have the finances or the education to become a doctor, but was fortunate to become a policeman. His love for horses played a central role in why Bailey wanted to become an officer.He, along with 51 other Barbadians, came to T&T to join the service. From Bailey's entry to the service on August 9, 1942, to his retirement on November 25, 1983, a lot has changed.
One of the major criticisms Bailey had of today's modern system, when asked to compare the service then to now, was: "At that time John Public had a little bit more respect for the police."
He recalled that he first began working at Chaguaramas Bay along with the Americans. While the standard of education was not as high in his day, Bailey said police officers then had a sense of duty. He was also quick to clarify that he was not saying there are not currently good police officers. There are many good police officers in the service today, he said.
Even as there are many debates surrounding the issues of corruption in the Police Service and penal systems, and plans to implement things such as a rapid response unit among others, Bailey said while in his day there were corrupt officers, many of them were in the junior ranks.
In today's service, he said, many of the corrupt officers could be found in the senior ranks of the force. If any officer then, he said, was charged with any issue, immediate disciplinary action would have been taken. He said in his time the service was also more disciplined.
"In my day, a junior rank would not talk back to a senior rank. The senior officer's duty was to keep us toeing the line. But with all of this I am not saying that there aren't good policemen today." Another issue Bailey saw as impacting upon the service was the lack of resources. He said the service is severely understaffed. But the problem in the Police Service, he added, was also a societal one.
"Due to the fact of the service having delinquent officers now, people have lost more respect for the police service, although there are a lot of decent police men."Many in the society, he said, coming into the world today were also unable to take commands. He recalled that long ago, many children would not curse in front of parents or even the elderly, but today many of the children had no problem doing so. He said he was not condemning the young people, since there were many bright and well-behaved young people in the country.
Bailey said the country is currently leaning on the scale of good and bad and one could only wait and see which way the scale would tip.He wondered if a part of the society had developed a special hatred for the Police Service, adding it was important to know how people viewed the police and the service itself.